India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Reviews Territorial Army Role in Parliamentary Meeting

On 6 August 2026, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a Parliamentary Consultative Committee meeting for the Ministry of Defence in New Delhi. The session focused on the Territorial Army, with senior officials briefing the committee on its mandate, organisational structure, operational duties and recent achievements.

Singh highlighted the force’s "citizen‑soldier" concept, noting that its roughly 44,400 personnel across 59 units serve in civilian jobs while remaining ready for border security, internal stability and rapid disaster response. He cited the Army’s involvement in flood relief in Kerala, cyclone response in Odisha, and flood assistance in Assam, as well as its environmental work, including planting about 10 crore saplings under the Prime Minister’s Mission LiFE and Panchamrit initiatives. The minister linked the Territorial Army’s contributions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a "Viksit Bharat" and stressed its role in providing surge capacity for the regular armed forces.